Your piece on Ravine made me think of my small less used park here in West Seattle. For years it was affectionately called Whiskey Gulch. Yup... Gulch - defined as ===> narrow and steep-sided ravine marking the course of a fast stream.
Many thought that name was due to the heavy partying done in this park by local teenagers and the abundance of trash many of us picked up. (me included). Alas, no kids party there anymore and trash is not a problem.. just downed trees and encroaching ivy and blackberries. I attribute the kids not going there to the internet. (let your imagination go on that)
But that reason for Whiskey Gulch is wrong. It really dates back to the original residence next to this deep gulch over a century ago. They owned a horse named Whiskey. And Whiskey got stuck in the creek bed of the ravine. He was rescued but the name stuck.
Today, you can find Whiskey gulch at Fauntleroy Park where Fauntleroy Creek begins. My favorite Ravine.
Before we referred to the atmospheric river as the pineapple express, we talked about Chinook winds. From Wikipedia "Along the Pacific Northwest coast, where the name is pronounced /tʃɪˈnʊk/ ('chin'+'uk'),[2] the name refers to wet, warm winds off the ocean from the southwest; this is the original use of the term.[1] The coastal Chinook winds deliver tremendous amounts of moisture both as rain along the coast and snow in the coastal mountains, that sustain the characteristic temperate rainforests and climate of the Pacific Northwest".
Dang you David. I was hoping to get something done this morning, but I couldn't rip myself away from this essay. Or the links. I learned a lot about the Mosquito Fleet, ravines, pollen, mountains, regrades. It's interesting how many catchphrases in the Northwest are inspired by extreme terrain.
Thanks for yet another informative and entertaining piece. I'd like to jump on my soapbox with regard to "atmospheric river". I have only lived here a little over 40 years, so I'm not a native, but I do feel I am of this place. One thing that helps make this place unique is our "Pineapple Express". I understand the reason for the term atmospheric river, but downgrading our Pineapple Express to a generic term just doesn't seem right. It's like calling the Mississippi or Snohomish or Duwamish a "terrestrial river". It may be an atmospheric river, but it's OUR atmospheric river, so I continue to resist the change and call it the Pineapple Express.
Thank you David. From local slang to adopted terms that reflect the spirit of the city, each word contributes to the rich tapestry of Seattle’s identity.
Thank you for your post, with lovely words and updated biography on Estella Leopold over at HistoryLink. Without word-sharing like yours, our world would be so much less interesting. In a fun bit of bloggers convergence zone, I see Maria Popova in yesterday's midweek pickmeup reposting her 2019 blog on Robert Macfarlane's "Lost Words" including the lovely illustrations by Jackie Morris. Good words are often enhanced by reminders that we can all "reduce, reuse, recycle" in ways that apply to more than just the waste stream of material objects.
I don’t know if this is apocryphal but I was told the original UW team name was the “Sun Dodgers” which was too pessimistic for the civic boosters, who led an election to change the name to Huskies or Malamutes to emphasize Seattle was the gateway to Alaska.
Thank you for the post. On convergence zone, it also is where the two winds meet and there is no wind. As the South and North winds oppose each other, the result is none to very light winds. Not what a sailor wants.
Your piece on Ravine made me think of my small less used park here in West Seattle. For years it was affectionately called Whiskey Gulch. Yup... Gulch - defined as ===> narrow and steep-sided ravine marking the course of a fast stream.
Many thought that name was due to the heavy partying done in this park by local teenagers and the abundance of trash many of us picked up. (me included). Alas, no kids party there anymore and trash is not a problem.. just downed trees and encroaching ivy and blackberries. I attribute the kids not going there to the internet. (let your imagination go on that)
But that reason for Whiskey Gulch is wrong. It really dates back to the original residence next to this deep gulch over a century ago. They owned a horse named Whiskey. And Whiskey got stuck in the creek bed of the ravine. He was rescued but the name stuck.
Today, you can find Whiskey gulch at Fauntleroy Park where Fauntleroy Creek begins. My favorite Ravine.
Before we referred to the atmospheric river as the pineapple express, we talked about Chinook winds. From Wikipedia "Along the Pacific Northwest coast, where the name is pronounced /tʃɪˈnʊk/ ('chin'+'uk'),[2] the name refers to wet, warm winds off the ocean from the southwest; this is the original use of the term.[1] The coastal Chinook winds deliver tremendous amounts of moisture both as rain along the coast and snow in the coastal mountains, that sustain the characteristic temperate rainforests and climate of the Pacific Northwest".
Dang you David. I was hoping to get something done this morning, but I couldn't rip myself away from this essay. Or the links. I learned a lot about the Mosquito Fleet, ravines, pollen, mountains, regrades. It's interesting how many catchphrases in the Northwest are inspired by extreme terrain.
Thanks for yet another informative and entertaining piece. I'd like to jump on my soapbox with regard to "atmospheric river". I have only lived here a little over 40 years, so I'm not a native, but I do feel I am of this place. One thing that helps make this place unique is our "Pineapple Express". I understand the reason for the term atmospheric river, but downgrading our Pineapple Express to a generic term just doesn't seem right. It's like calling the Mississippi or Snohomish or Duwamish a "terrestrial river". It may be an atmospheric river, but it's OUR atmospheric river, so I continue to resist the change and call it the Pineapple Express.
Thank you David. From local slang to adopted terms that reflect the spirit of the city, each word contributes to the rich tapestry of Seattle’s identity.
Thank you for your post, with lovely words and updated biography on Estella Leopold over at HistoryLink. Without word-sharing like yours, our world would be so much less interesting. In a fun bit of bloggers convergence zone, I see Maria Popova in yesterday's midweek pickmeup reposting her 2019 blog on Robert Macfarlane's "Lost Words" including the lovely illustrations by Jackie Morris. Good words are often enhanced by reminders that we can all "reduce, reuse, recycle" in ways that apply to more than just the waste stream of material objects.
This is yet another David B Williams piece that everyone who moves to Seattle should be required to read.
Thanks for mentioning Estella Leopold. This lead me to go read your biography of her (https://www.historylink.org/File/9378) which is rich in detail.
My wife was part of her group "Friends of UW Environment" who fought to save the trees destroyed by the construction of the law school in the 1980s.
I don’t know if this is apocryphal but I was told the original UW team name was the “Sun Dodgers” which was too pessimistic for the civic boosters, who led an election to change the name to Huskies or Malamutes to emphasize Seattle was the gateway to Alaska.
Thank you for the post. On convergence zone, it also is where the two winds meet and there is no wind. As the South and North winds oppose each other, the result is none to very light winds. Not what a sailor wants.
Love this—both investigating words and bio of Estella.
How about The Lava Beds, Sodo, the Viaduct, Mercer Mess, Pill Hill, the Montlake cut, and Chubby and Tubbys? Places.